So as anyone knows the real Tour of Flanders is postponed due to CoVid-19/coronavirus. However next Sunday, there still will be a Tour of Flanders next Sunday, 5 April, on the day that was planned for the real thing. Flanders Classic and Sporza came with the idea, along with partners "Bkool" and "Kiswe". Bkool is the digital platform wherein the route of the virtual race is loaded, Kiswe being the livestream app which will enable us to follow the race live when the riders virtually climb the Kruisberg Hotond, the Old Kwaremont and the Paterberg.

Needless to say, Sporza is covering the race with commentaries by Michel Wuyts and José De Cauwer, who else? Coverage starts at 3.30pm CET.

Edit: Somehow I feel a little guilty about this thread. There are much more important things to focus our attention on these days. As much as we love cycling, we have to realise that it does not matter as much as a horrible pandemic. I must admit though that initially (around January/February), I underrated the extent of the epidemic and rather joked about it (on the shoutbox). About this I feel a little ashamed as well. It reminds me of the time I met up with a friend, former amateur rider in Eastern France (region that is now heavily infected and I hope he's doing well). He had a passion of cycling history as well and knows full well that some races have been organised during both wars but gives no credit to these races as there were much more important events going on at that time - to say the least. However somehow we also need to be more positive and joyful, so it can be needed too.

Of course, the real Tour of Flanders has been postponed for the time being in line with the guidelines issued by the government to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Nevertheless, we have found an alternative for the Tour of Flanders this Sunday - with the first virtual edition ever, as well a radio play featuring 104 years of Flanders Finest.

DeRonde2020, the lockdown edition

The event that all of Flanders is more passionate about than any other will not take place on Sunday 5 April. This prompted Flanders Classics and Belgian national sports broadcaster Sporza to go in search of an innovative alternative that is equally thrilling for both fans and cyclists. Although it is currently forbidden to cycle in groups and has been for a little while now, they will be announcing the very first virtual edition of Flanders’ Finest for professional cyclists today: DeRonde2020, the lockdown edition. Because you can still cycle on your home trainer.

Flanders Classics developed a unique concept in collaboration with technology partners Bkool and Kiswe. Not only that, the participating teams also contributed their part to this wonderful initiative. The teams were not only more than willing to join in, they are what’s more doing so entirely free of charge.

After a 1 hour race, the 2020 winner will be crowned. In a closed tour reserved exclusively for professional cyclists, 13 pros will be competing during the last 32 km of the Tour of Flanders - on their home trainers. Thanks to Kiswe we will be able to watch the riders tackle a virtual Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg in real time on the Bkool platform. The tour has already been uploaded onto Bkool’s digital platform.

Follow the Tour of Flanders social media channels and find out where to watch this unique event.

The Officially Unbelievable Ronde van Vlaanderen

This year, the Tour of Flanders will not be held once, but twice. Visit Flanders, Cycling in Flanders, Flanders Classics and Sporza joined forces to create a radio story: The Officially Unbelievable Ronde van Vlaanderen. In collaboration with Het Geluidhuis and Bowling Brands, they will transport cycling fans to an era of unwritten, thrilling cycling history - just as if you were listening to the commentary to a genuine, live cycling race.

This will, without a doubt, be the most exciting Tour ever - because it is so much more than just another race. Get ready for a story with some incredible plot twists, featuring cameo appearances by heroes from one hundred years of cycling history such as Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw, Fabian Cancellara, Mario Cipollini, Briek Schotte, Bradley Wiggins, Fausto Coppi and the Van der Poel family. It is a race into which a full century of anecdotes and tales having to do with the Tour of Flanders have been incorporated, and in which both male and female riders participate: Marianne Vos, Yvonne Reynders, Jeannie Longo and Annemiek van Vleuten will also be competing alongside the male cyclists.

Don't miss this unique storytelling concept and tune in this weekend. Rob Hatch et Matt Stephens will take you along on the virtual 2020 Tour of Flanders with exceptional live commentary. The story can also be listened to on www.cycling-in-flanders.cc.

Good that it works for you. MV's stream explicitly says that it's blocked in my country. I don't have the count "live in X hours". Anyway, I'm working right now, so won't be able to watch live.

Also as it seems, Mathieu Van der Poel ans his Alpecin teammates are doing their own Tour of Flanders, 27km, which the team called Ronde van Zwift. Such a shame that competition between apps sets riders apart.

Also present on that other race are Philippe Gilbert, John Degenkolb, Mads Pedersen and Annemiek Van Vleuten.

Well that was quite waggish. So it seems that they could replicate the drafting and turn taking. What to my own impression they could not replicate are the descents though. Right after the "virtual" Hotonde, you have a "virtual" descent but you could see the guys pushing hard on the pedals, not freewheeling at all.

Van Avermaet winning while not being a ITT specialist! It has to do on the riders' current form condition, I guess. It's not too often occured in his real career that he wins alone.

That's surely going to be on his palmares: Paris-Roubaix, Olympics and "Lockdown Tour of Flanders". Even he doesn't give the victory any value ...

Other nice thing, it's probably the first race in 17 years with helmet-free riders !!

And just got to love this helicopter crashing straight into the trees at the finish or the motorbike on the pavement at the start.

Oh and mea culpa, the Tour of Zwift had nothing to do with Flanders but was based on the Richmond Worlds route. It seems that Triathletes robbed the race !!! What does that mean? Could those triathletes ever become great cyclists?

I somehow missed all the details of this event. I thought I clicked on the thread when Echoes first launched it, but in reading the OP just now, it seems like a first-time viewing, so I've no idea where I ended up previously. This is not at all what I had thought was taking place. Although it appears that I didn't miss too much anyway. Interesting effort on the part of those behind this project, though.